Audience Testing
by moonswirl
Summary: Gleekathon, days 708-714: When their project is uncovered, Rachel and Puck have to rally up.
1. Day One

_Started my daily ficlets to make the hiatus pass, then decided to keep going with a 2nd cycle, and then a 3rd, 4th, etc through 33rd cycle. Now cycle 34!_

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><p><strong>Hear that little bird twitter!<strong> _Been thinking about doing this for a couple days, then this morning decided to just go for it. If you go there, find 'gleekathon' and there I'll be. There's also a video explaining everything... Yep... ;) Check it out!_

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><p><strong>"Audience Testing"<br>Day One  
>PuckRachel, New Directions, Will, & rest of the troupe  
>Project No Day But Today #8 (sequel to 'Audition the Rest')<strong>

**A/N: This seven day/chapter story is dedicated to the awesomeness of  
>the Wondertwins, Daisy and Nancy! Happy (early) Birthday! <strong>

It was easy to forget after a while, to get comfortable about things, when you weren't getting caught. It was one thing when it was a secret for two people, and then four, six, eight… When they got to thirteen, it was a bit more juggling, a bit more keeping track of movements as they tried to get together. But now there were twenty-five of them. There were the twelve of them from Glee Club, plus Blaine, and then there were their recruits, the minor roles and the understudies… The names on Rachel's list were not nearly as familiar as the others, but she was starting to know them.

From Rachel's failed Cabaret troupe, there were four: two girls, Annie Frey and Taylor Johnson, and two guys, Reid Beckett and Ben Gibson. Then from the Cheerios, there were three: there was Alicia Beckett, Reid's sister, and then Miranda Kramer and her boyfriend, Greg Ruiz. There was Elliott Thorne, from Rachel's history class, and then from Puck's former dumpster fodder, Gus Wiley and Craig Holmes. The last two, the only freshmen in the group, were 'the two Elizabeths', which for the purposes of being told apart were referred to as Lizzie Wyatt and Ellie Michaelson.

It was rocky at the beginning, with half the group knowing each other very well, and the other half not really knowing about them, or about some of each other. Inevitably the Cabaret people stayed together, so did the Cheerios, and the two Elizabeths, and the dumpster guys… and then Elliott. But time went by and it got easier… which only lead to trouble in the end. They got careless; Rachel inevitably blamed herself.

This started one afternoon, when Rachel called for a rehearsal the next day. The routine was something like a phone tree. Rachel called one, who called the next, who called the next… The last one would always be Puck, who would then take it back to Rachel. That day, heading into Glee Club, there had been a moment, when Brittany got her text – from Ellie – and she sent hers – to Gus. He had been just nearby, and when he got the message, he still startled… It was not in August Wiley's habit to get text messages from popular girls… It wasn't in his habit to get text messages from girls, period. He almost dropped his phone, and he looked right at her. She held a finger to her lips – quiet – and then went into the room, missing when Will saw the whole exchange.

There had been other slip-ups in the last few days, slip-ups that he saw… On their own, to the casual observer, maybe no one would understand that something was odd, but he did. And in the last few days, he'd seen some phones. In Spanish class, he'd confiscated Taylor Johnson's phone, and he saw the text:

_Out Tonight. Tmr. 5. Audit._

It happened again, same message… but on Craig Holmes' phone. Then in the middle of Glee Club that day, he saw Puck take out his phone, check what Will assumed was a text message, and then he looked across the room to Rachel and gave her a nod, which made her smile. Will couldn't see Puck's phone, but he had a strong feeling that if he did get to look, he would see that same message he'd seen twice before. It had taken him a while to decipher it, but it had fallen into place as soon as he got that 'tmr' was 'tomorrow'… Tomorrow, at 5… auditorium… That was today now. Something was happening, and as much as he wanted to trust that it was nothing, he had to check it out.

After Glee Club, the twelve of them had spread out, some going one way, some going the other, but they were all going to the same place – the auditorium. Their recruits – and Blaine – would already be there, waiting. Blaine had been put in charge of getting the others warmed up as they waited for Glee Club to let out. The Cheerios were good for dance, but needed vocal help, meanwhile it was the other way around for the Cabaret kids. Elliott could get by with both, though he needed polishing. The dumpster guys… Gus was surprisingly light on his feet for a guy who couldn't get away from being tossed with the trash, while Craig had a voice deep in him that had knocked them off their feet. It was only the two Elizabeths who were well rounded on both sides, which got them recruited as Blaine's assistants.

With New Directions' arrival, Rachel was back in charge, with Puck as her second in command. She was in the middle of 'briefing' them on their next number when she started to hear a hush going her group. "Guys, come on, we have a lot of work to do, so we can't…" she started, but then she felt Puck's hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him, and he nodded back. She turned, and there he was… Mr. Schuester, standing up the aisle, staring back at the crowd on the stage.

"Can someone tell me what's going on here?" he asked, not mean, not anything except… surprised… blindsided. Rachel looked back to the others… She'd brought them all here, this was her responsibility… she'd own up.

"You guys keep practicing," she looked to Blaine and the Elizabeths. "I'll speak to him."

"I'll go with you," Puck whispered to her, but she shook her head, looking back to him.

"I've got this," she insisted. But he was still looking at her. She smiled. "We'll be right back," she told the rest, and she and Puck walked off the stage, going with Will out into the hall. They could already hear everyone talking as they passed the doors. They were gone ten minutes, and when they returned the talk was still going – no one had been practicing. Most of them weren't sure exactly why they weren't telling anyone, but they knew it was important. They had agreed to trust their intrepid directors, but now it was starting to dawn on people that they could get in trouble… When Puck and Rachel returned, alone, the room fell quiet.

"What did he say? Is he going to tell Coach Sylvester?" Miranda asked.

"When would Schuester ever tell her anything?" Santana frowned. She shrugged.

"H-he's not shutting us down," Rachel declared.

"Yet," Puck added.

"He's giving us a week, seven days, including today. He wants us to show him what we've got, give him reason to back us up."

"Isn't he supposed to be all about putting on shows like this?" Greg shrugged.

"Well, he's… upset," Rachel explained, and Puck nodded along in silence. They could see doubt going from face to face. "Okay, we need to get to work," she clapped her hands together.

The practice had taken some time to kick into gear, but eventually they'd gotten things done. Still as they started leaving, no one seemed sure of themselves. Puck helped Rachel pick up props and everything else left behind. She was quiet, and he waited. "He'll say yes."

"What if he doesn't?" she looked back to him. He put his arms around her.

"Well at least something good still came out of it," he pointed out, and she smiled. "But I'm not lying. We'll do this right," he pulled back, offering his hand. She put her hand in his, and it was settled… Game on.

TO BE CONTINUED (TOMORROW)


	2. Day Two

_A/N: You guys rock... I had nothing else to say ;) Here's the next chapter now :D_

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><p><strong>"Audience Testing"<br>Day Two **

Rachel had no idea what to expect with this development, especially on the next morning. After the ultimatum had been laid out for them they had gotten right to work the previous afternoon, and even then afterward everyone had just gone and left, so all bets were still off as to how they would react, after a night to sleep on it, to think about it. She thought for sure half of them would quit.

But morning came, and she had no texts, no e-mails, nothing at all to indicate that they might be backing out… it didn't mean that they wouldn't do it now… As she made her way through the halls she did see a number of them and, though their eyes did meet, no one was talking, not yet. This gave her some pause, but not about the musical.

"I think they know," she told Puck after he'd pulled her into a darkened empty classroom, before he could pull her into a kiss. He frowned, both jarred out of his mental state and then confused as to what she was talking about.

"What do they know?" he asked and then, after a beat, "Who's they?"

"Everyone… the Glee Club, the rest of them… They know about us," she whispered.

"There's no one here," he told her. "Why are you whispering?" She just frowned. "What does it matter if they know?" he shrugged.

"No, I know," she insisted. "I mean, I want them to know, that's not it, but we're already in trouble with this whole thing, if they get upset, if we lose some of them, then we'll never recover. Everything we've done… all of it, the musical part, it'll have been for nothing, and what if they hold it against us?"

"Calm down, okay?" he begged, rubbing at her arm. She breathed in and out. "We said we'd go through with this, so we'll go through with this. If they find out then, whatever, one less thing to worry about," he shrugged, and she smiled. He smiled, too. "It'll be nice, right? Not to look over your shoulder all the time?" She nodded. "I think I'm getting a mark right here from your hair whipping at my face," he pointed at his cheek. She reached to it, smirking.

"Sorry," she laughed, stretching on her toes to 'kiss it better,' which soon turned into a proper and complete lip lock, until he heard what he thought was a 'no, wait' mumbling and he pulled back. "We should really get back out there," she reminded him, though she didn't look like she wanted to leave at all.

"In a minute," he promised.

"Or… two…" she blinked, and that was all he needed to recapture the kiss.

Two minutes had turned into five, and a decisively more chipper Rachel regained the halls, determined to see how they were faring with their musical company. Things were bound to be tense, with some more than others… She was kind of terrified to see Mr. Schuester.

It wasn't about betraying him, about keeping things from him in the way it could come off as. All she'd wanted was to give him plausible deniability, so if someone else found out about this he couldn't be blamed for it. But even there she knew, deep down, that there was one problem there: that it could be him who would find out, and that he would react… pretty much the way he had. She couldn't forget the look in his eyes. They all knew how thin of a line they all walked on with the Glee Club's position at McKinley. Still she wished he understood she was doing this for them, too, that she cared for the club just like he did, and that if they pulled this off then it could be great.

The day went by like they were watching a spark snake closer and closer to a flame, but it never quite reached it… There was no explosion, no lashing out… Rachel calmed, though she knew they had to get things together, to get back to practice as soon as they could. She had wanted to just convince them to skip classes altogether, the better to spend more time on preparing for this showcase, but then it might all have just come back to bite them in the ass. So she waited, not so much patient as just counting down the minutes… If her teachers ever saw her notebook for that day, all they would find would be costume ideas, choreography plans, set and prop lists… She'd already been at it until after midnight the night before. Everything would be ready, everything would work out.

Even though Will had already found out about them, they still maintained their secrecy in moving toward the auditorium that afternoon. Just because one person had found out, it didn't mean they wanted everyone else to find out, too. And after being found out once already, they were even more cautious about it. They finally all made it into the auditorium though, finding Blaine waiting for them already. Rachel still waited for that dreaded 'boom,' but it didn't come. No one said a thing, about the impending showcase, or about the other secret they supposedly knew about, her and Puck's relationship.

The rehearsal was uneventful as a whole. She recruited the girls to help her with costumes, while Puck had the guys come together for set building. They weren't going to go all out, since this was not the actual show, but if they were going to make Will see that they were serious about it, then they had to give him something good to hang on to. Rachel had nearly stabbed herself in the finger with a needle when, overhearing Santana and Brittany talking about the guys sweating it up while working on the sets, her mind had drifted off to Puck… Shaking her fingers out with a frown, she could see the two Cheerios staring at her, and there was that impression again… like they knew about the secret…

TO BE CONTINUED (TOMORROW)


	3. Day Three

_A/N: Cheers, folks! IT'S FREEZING TODAY! ;)_

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><p><strong>"Audience Testing"<strong>

**Day Three**

The second day's rehearsal may not have been a rehearsal as such, as they hadn't worked on the show itself, so on that front nothing had progressed, but they had worked really hard and their showcase sets and costumes were done, ready to be used in their rehearsals. Puck and Rachel had been on both ends of the work, hadn't managed to touch base, and the morning of the third day would be their first chance to discuss. Puck went to pick her up to drive her to school. He gave two honks of the horn, and a minute later he heard the door, saw her stomp up the road – something was off. She dropped into the passenger seat with a heavy sigh, settling her bag on her knees.

"What's wrong?"

"All I said was if they needed help with the costumes, that I'd be happy to show them…" she started, gesticulating. "I've been doing this a lot longer than a lot of them have, and I wasn't going to let them make mistakes we'd have to fix after. So I tried to show them how to do it…"

"And how did that go?" he asked, guessing that hadn't gone over all too well. She sighed.

"Cheerio meltdown…" she frowned. "How well do you know Alicia and Miranda?" she asked. He opened his mouth to talk, but then, "Wait, don't answer that," she decided.

"Why?" he asked, then he worked it out. "Relax, I haven't been with one or the other. Miranda's left that up to Greg for as long as I've known her, and Alicia's keeping it tighter than Quinn… did…" he tripped on the end, but then looked back to her. "So can I answer now?" he asked, and she nodded quietly. "Miranda's kind of 'head in the clouds,' not like Brittany, but you might want to stay on her," he told her, and she nodded, paying close attention. "Alicia, from what I hear, she doesn't pay attention, shows up late…" He didn't need to go any further, she could see it coming.

"… so I might want to stay on her," she spoke, and he nodded. "Great," she frowned.

"But they're with us, right? If they said yes, then it means something."

"I know," she promised. They drove off to school, while Puck told her how it had gone with the guys' team. Once everyone had their tasks, they had split off, though Puck tried to have a hand in as much as he could, acting as Rachel's eyes and ears. He told her how he'd been surprised, getting to work in particular with Gus and Craig.

He could tell the two of them were still erring on the side of caution, and nervousness, when he was around. He had no intention of doing anything to them, which he tried to make them understand already before, but he figured this was his first big chance to turn things around, show them they could trust him. It was partway deciding to make amends, partway wanting to make Rachel proud of him… prouder.

It had taken time, especially anytime he approached with some tool or another in his hand – they'd flinch. But Puck persisted, showing himself helpful, and not about to harm them in anyway. Then when he'd gotten mixed up on something, he was this close to throwing the thing across the room when the two guys approach him – slowly – and offered to help him fix it. At the very least it had gotten a dialogue going between them… Up until recently, he realized, he'd never really heard their voices…

"It's weird, they're not who I thought they were," he explained. "I mean, yeah, they're nerds, but it's not the same. Now I kind of feel bad for stuff from before."

"I'm sure you'll make up for it," she told him, and even without looking he knew what her face would look like – she was happy. At least he'd given her that. He could already tell she was dreading going in there today. She'd play strong, like she would, but on the inside it would be a whole other matter. He'd always been able to see it, sort of, but after this had started and they'd gotten closer, started dating, it had gotten even easier for him to spot it. If he could make it a little easier on her, then he wouldn't hesitate.

The thing was he did suspect, for some time now, that maybe not all of them but some of them did know about their relationship. It was none of the ones who might really react badly to it, if that was how they'd think of it… Not Finn, not Quinn… Santana had to know, he was positive, but so far she hadn't said a thing… didn't mean she wouldn't. At the very least he definitely wasn't seeing the big drama that Rachel had been fearing. No one was yelling, no one was threatening to quit the musical… He never really saw it that way, figured they'd just mind their own business, but then he had seen how it could all go wrong… Secrets had not been kind to a lot of them. He just wanted this running around to stop. Because for how much he was making her happy, she was doing it for him… more than she'd know.

Getting to McKinley, he did get a bit of the aftermath of Rachel's afternoon with the girls, hanging in the air, as they passed one another in the hall. They continued to give each other only the slightest of acknowledgements, not wanting to tip their hand to the whole school about the project, but even then they were being even quieter today. Once they were past them though he could still pick up on chatter. They weren't going to know anything now, not until rehearsals.

At this point there was no point in activating the phone tree check-in; they all knew to go to the auditorium after class and whatever other sport or club they were part of. So when Rachel and Puck arrived together – as co-directors – and found the rest of New Directions, Blaine, the Elizabeths, Gus, Craig, Elliott, and no one else, they paused. "Maybe they're running late," Rachel looked to Puck.

"They're not coming," Quinn revealed. Puck didn't have time to do a thing. Next he knew, he heard the auditorium door open, then shut, and Rachel was gone. In that moment he couldn't give a rat's ass about secrets. He ran after her.

TO BE CONTINUED (TOMORROW)


	4. Day Four

_A/N: Halfway point!_

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><p><strong>"Audience Testing"<strong>

**Day Four**

She hadn't run; she walked… briskly. She couldn't stay there, needed to get out, needed to breathe. Not twenty seconds after she'd turned on her heel and left the auditorium, she felt fingers slide into her palm and clasp around her hand. She looked to the side and there was Puck, striding at her side. She didn't say a word… she didn't have to. He followed her and they walked out of McKinley together.

He drove her home, didn't push her to talk; if she wanted to say anything, she would. He could tell she was upset… Upset, angry, something… disappointed… After promising he'd be there to pick her up in the morning, she nodded, and he leaned in to kiss her before she got out. He sighed, watching her go. He kept driving for a while, had to. He had half a mind to track down those seven who hadn't shown up, the Cheerios, and the Cabaret people… For Rachel's sake though, he kept a handle on his nerves… for now.

The next morning he showed up, as promised, and as the kicker – to try and wrestle a smile out of her – he brought brownies. "Think they'll come today?" he started as she got to eating the brownies, hoping to get her talking.

"They didn't bother showing up yesterday, I don't see why they would now," she frowned, speaking with bitterness in her voice. "I thought we were doing okay, but I guess I got it wrong." He paused, sensing the upswing coming. "So we had a disagreement! So what!" her voice peaked. "Mr. Schuester finding out, I know that wasn't planned, and yeah, he's been kind of… moody, last few days, and we could get in trouble, but the best way for that not to happen is to actually show up, and work on it!"

"You just have to get in their faces, tell them what's what, and…" he started, motioning as best he could, as he was driving, and he paused when he saw her looking back at him. "Or… you know… we can do it your way…" he nodded. "But the smack down offer still stands."

"Let's call that plan B," she bowed her head. The car slowed, the way it did when he would start thinking too much to concentrate on the driving.

"Yeah, well, here's plan C," he sped up again, taking a left turn at the intersection instead of right.

"Where are you going, school's that way?" she asked.

"I'm not going there, not today, and neither are you." He could feel her about to complain, but he looked at her. "They didn't bother showing up yesterday," he repeated her words, "I don't see why we should now. Let them miss us for a bit."

"But… class…"

"We're making a stand. In or out?" he asked, and he saw her face shift, taken with mischief.

"Where would we go? I mean I'm not too familiar with all this, but don't you get in trouble if people catch you not being in school?" she still had to ask.

"Well you don't have to be too obvious about it. Just act like you're exactly where you belong, like you own the place. You can do that, you're kind of small and powerful," he summated. This made her beam – this day just might have been a better cure for her spirits than his mother's brownies. "You know where I stand, but if you want me to turn around and take us to McKinley, then I'll do it." There was a pause, and there was a smile, two smiles… hers, then his.

"I like it when you say 'us'," was her response, peaceful and giddy at once.

"So where do you want to go?" She looked at the road ahead of them, like they were about to embark on some great big journey around the world, as opposed to Lima, Ohio.

"I don't know, it might be boring for you," she told him when she had an idea.

"I don't mind. This is for you, I'm just enabling it. So where do you want to go?" he repeated.

"Well, I've been meaning to get some new sheet music, a-and I need a dress for my cousin's wedding… though I should probably wait on that one or my dads will wonder where I got it…"

"Or we can just hang out longer and say you went after school," he suggested, and she nodded.

"Right, good, yes… Then I guess I'll need shoes, too."

"We can have lunch at Breadstix. My treat, and yes I'll pay," he promised; she did not approve of his usual practice of dining and dashing.

"And maybe a movie this afternoon… or two, if we're trying to stay out longer," she added.

"You're starting to get it," he smirked. "So I guess the answer is 'we're going to the mall.'"

They arrived at the mall, finding most of the shops still closed at this hour, so they walked around for a while, then stopped for coffee. He could see how excited she was getting about this, just by the idea of walking around a deserted mall, all the doors still gated up, the stalls covered… Most importantly, they weren't going to let themselves get concerned over the musical, or anything related to it.

Just because they had decided to forget them though, it didn't mean that the others had done the same. Rachel had gotten a text from Kurt, then Mercedes, and he could see her conscience shifting to maybe want to abandon this and go to school if she ever got another message. So he asked her to relinquish her phone to him, to keep it safe and to keep her safe from it. Finally it would be time for stores to open, and he wasn't letting her mind waver from this time she needed.

They went to the music store, she browsed through the sheet music, and he followed, carrying her selections so she could continue browsing. They went for the shoes next, and again he trailed along without complaint. They went to another store for her to try on dresses – now this part he liked better. She wanted his honest opinion, and he gave it to her, steering her away from some choices, deeming others 'okay.' The matter was settled when she emerged from the changing room and he couldn't remember how to speak. She smirked, spun around… it was probably a good thing he couldn't talk, or he might have said something inappropriate right then… she looked that hot…

After that, it was just about lunch time, and they could definitely use the break. They'd gone and put the three purchases in Puck's car, and then they were off to Breadstix. They ended up spending the whole time of the meal arguing over what movies to go to, trying to make up their minds. By the time they had landed on two titles, it was dessert time. They were quiet for a beat. "So how many messages?" she asked. He looked at her. "I know you've been looking."

"A few," was all he would say. He tipped part of his dessert in her plate and snatched some of hers up, to keep her from drifting away again.

"Thanks," she told him, and they went on eating. Getting to the theater afterward, he felt her tense for a second, and he imagined she was getting worried about being caught again. But he didn't have to tell her a thing; he saw her face get resolved again – she remembered what he told her. They got their tickets, for both movies at the same time. They were sitting in the dark of the first movie when Puck heard a tiny squeak from Rachel and felt her duck behind his shoulder.

"What, it's a comedy," he whispered, but then her finger pointed his eyes, down and to the left. "Is that Figgins? What's he doing here?" he wondered, looking back at her… and then they laughed. "Calm now?" he asked her, holding on to her hand.

"Calm now," she confirmed. Still for the rest of the movie, they had to split their attention halfway between the movie and the principal. After it was done, they waited until he got up and left before doing the same, making sure he left the premises before they could head to the second movie in peace. They looked to all the different faces – none of them were familiar – they were safe. Halfway through the movie, he felt her hand squeeze his – she'd been holding on the whole time, to ward off the horror movie's chills – and he looked at her, getting the word again – thanks – only from her eyes this time. He leaned in, pressed his lips to her forehead, then reached to tip her chin up and this time pressed them to hers. They had no idea how the movie ended, completely focused on one another, even on the occasional pause for breath. He could see her eyes shine, like she'd always wanted to do this… he wasn't going to disappoint…

When the second movie was over and the lights came up, they blinked, brought back to reality. He looked at the time by pulling out her phone. When she saw it, she looked concerned. "Do you want me to…" She nodded. He scrolled through the messages, then he selected them all and erased them. "Here," he handed it to her. "You're clear," he promised. "What about tomorrow though?" She paused, shrugged.

"Tomorrow is tomorrow. We'll get to it then."

TO BE CONTINUED (TOMORROW)


	5. Day Five

_A/N: Only two more chapters after this!_

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><p><strong>"Audience Testing"<strong>

**Day Five**

They had come to the weekend now. The way Rachel had been going, at the beginning of the week, this was meant to be when they would really have a chance to get things going, since they had no school. Of course now it was a whole other matter. But Puck had a plan. The day before, while Rachel was trying on dresses, he had been busy… with her phone. He activated the phone tree.

_General. Tmr. 10. Titans Field._

He'd sent it to the second person on the list, as Rachel would have done. Now it was up to them. The message would get carried down the line, from one person to the next and if no one bailed, if no one blocked, then in the end the message would reach him. He erased the message from Rachel's phone as soon as he was done – she couldn't know, not yet.

He never let it pass, the whole time they were together; she never had a clue. But inside he was just imagining the travelling message, hoping it would find its way back to him. It hadn't come when they were at lunch, or the first or second movie. It hadn't come when he drove her home, or when he got home… Now he was afraid it wouldn't work out. He could do all he wanted, but if they didn't meet him halfway, it would be that much harder. His mother didn't generally approve him having his cell phone at dinner, but he still had it. Somewhere between cutting his sister's meat and getting up to get something to drink, he felt the buzz and he reached in his pocket.

When he saw the words, his own message, he could have picked up his sister and hugged her. Rachel may have disappointed, because it had been her idea originally to do this musical, but from the start it had been both of them, and he was truly invested in every part of it… He was disappointed too, angry, and he wanted to fix it. Now he had a shot, and it was a good thing… They were running out of time.

He got to the field on Saturday morning, half an hour before he'd told the others to meet him. He wasn't sure what to expect of the other twenty-three. Eleven of them, the rest of New Directions and Blaine, he had no worries. Then there were the ones who had been there, two days before: Gus, Craig, Elliott, and the Elizabeths… They had shown up, he wasn't too concerned for them either. But then there were the others: the Cheerios, Miranda, Greg, and Alicia, and the Cabaret people, Annie, Taylor, Reid, and Ben. They hadn't shown up, they had been the cause of all this stress… they were the ones he needed to talk to. Being forceful, that was one thing. But what he really had to do was to bring them back, to give them a reason to want to stay.

The first few arrived a few ten minutes before the set time – Kurt, Mercedes, Tina, and Artie. By the looks on their faces, he guessed they expected to see Rachel there as well. "Where's Rachel?" Kurt asked.

"She'll be here later…" After he'd gotten the message back, he had sent a different message to her – _Meet me on the football field, tomorrow at 11._ He figured one hour should be enough to settle things with the group. Now he had these people to address, as they started to arrive. "How'd it go yesterday?"

"Well when we realized you two weren't at school, there wasn't really any point to show up for rehearsal," Artie explained.

"But we were going to," Tina insisted.

"What about…" Puck started.

"The no-shows?" Kurt asked. "We haven't really spoken to them… We might have given them a bit of the stink eye," he went on, and Puck offered his hand to shake Kurt's. Before long, more of them arrived – Finn, Quinn, Mike, Sam, and then the Elizabeths. Craig and Gus arrived, looking flummoxed, and they saw why as Santana and Brittany trailed along. Then came Elliott, and Blaine not far behind. Now there were only 'the no-shows' left to appear. Puck had been answering – vaguely – their questions as to his and Rachel's absence the day before, and now that they were just waiting on the last seven, things got quiet… awkward…

"Well here they are," Gus pointed up the field, and everyone turned to look. The seven of them came walking up together – later the others would learn they'd arrived, little by little, but they'd waited for one another, so they could go in together, instead of going in alone to be questioned. It didn't stop the sudden quiet that fell over everyone when they arrived. Puck stepped up.

"Nice of you to show," he spoke, sarcastic. "Now I had some really… choice words to say here, and if it were up to me, I'd…" he stopped himself. "But I'm not going to do that because, yeah, I'm pissed off, and part of it is for the musical, but most of it is for what you put my girlfriend through," he heard the word come out of his mouth at the same time he realized he'd said it, and he didn't miss a beat, "And please don't tell her I just said it." He paused… he'd have to damage control this afterward, even if he did feel a relief over it being out there. "If we all pull together, I know we can do this. You all said yes. No one forced you to do it, so you have to be here for a reason," he dared, having hit right where he had to.

"Look, we're sorry, alright?" Annie was the one to step up and speak first. "The whole thing just got blown way out of proportion. We were going to come, yesterday, but then you weren't there."

"What about the day before? The day you didn't come," Elliott asked.

"We just needed time to think," Greg spoke up.

"And you didn't think to tell us that?" Santana frowned.

"We messed up, okay?" Reid replied. "But we're here now, so what do we have to do?" Puck was about to reply, but then he saw her, just at the entrance to the field – she was early.

"You know what you have to do? Say all that to her; see if she takes you back," he indicated a confused Rachel as she approached.

"What are you all doing here?"

"Well you activated the phone tree," Miranda shrugged.

"I…" Rachel started, looking back to Puck. He nodded silently and she understood. She blinked, smiling. "Yes, I did, I mean…"

"Those guys have something to say," Puck crossed his arms, keeping her from rambling off. Rachel looked to the seven standing on one side. Annie spoke up first, like before, explaining it all to her, top to bottom. There was a moment of hesitation, no one knowing what Rachel would say, if she'd yell at them, or just say no, or…

"Okay…" she clapped her hands together. "From the top!"

TO BE CONTINUED (TOMORROW)


	6. Day Six

A/N: GLEE DAY!

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><p><strong>"Audience Testing"<strong>

**Day Six**

They had worked until dinner time, practically non-stop. Puck played outburst-check with Rachel, making sure that no matter how close they were to making her explode, he would defuse that Berry bomb. They had long decided that, for the sake of this showcase, they would concentrate on a handful of numbers, to really pack as much as they could into the time they had to work. Exhausted but feeling productive, everyone had come to a stop, and in that time the seven 'returnees' had pooled money together and bought pizza for everyone, as a peace offering.

Puck hadn't told her about his letting spill that they were together when he was giving his speech to the group. He didn't know how he was supposed to respond to this, but he knew if she found out that everyone knew before she could tell them – he was fairly certain she had some kind of flourish planned for that… there might have been balloons, or sparklers… gold stars everywhere. Now he'd taken that, and everyone knew about them… He wasn't completely sure they didn't actually know on their own to begin with, but that was nothing but a technicality. So now he just had to hope that his request for them to keep it quiet would be held true.

They did it cut it close a few times. As much as he was meaning to keep his silence, now that they knew, he was being a bit less discreet in how he looked at her, reached to her… If she noticed, she never said a thing… didn't mind, maybe… and the day just flew on by. After the pizza dinner, it was agreed that they would meet up, same time, same place, for their last full day of rehearsal before the big showcase. "Don't stay up too late, we have a lot of work to do tomorrow." Everyone had turned back to him when he'd said it. "What?" he asked, seeing the confusion on their faces – even Rachel. After they'd left, he still wasn't sure why he'd gotten that look. Rachel was smirking at him. "What's w…" he started, but then she was hugging him, and he forgot.

"I've taught you well," she spoke dramatically.

The next morning saw the rise of what Rachel would come to call 'the best day ever.' No matter how uncertain and shaky and mutinous things had felt in the last five days, Sunday for Project No Day But Today had felt like everyone had taken a dose of vitamin B for Berry… Everyone was energized, everyone was motivated, and the day breezed by. It could have felt odd, after their brush with complete meltdown, to just come back and keep going, but not once did it feel odd or bad… one missed step, but they had moved on. The others finally knew what they were about.

Around four, after they'd just run through the last of their numbers and nailed it – by Rachel's own ruling – she had stared at the rest of them, New Directions and others alike, and she looked ready to burst with tears of pride. "Okay, everyone, gather around," she waved her hands for them to come forward. They did, and she looked to all their faces. "I think we're ready," she nodded. "Tomorrow when we meet, it'll be time for the showcase, and I definitely think we're ready, right?" she asked, and everyone nodded. "Okay, so we'll end things here for the day," she announced.

"Are you sure?" Puck asked, and she nodded. Everyone said their goodbyes, and they got to leaving. Rachel was getting ready to go as well, but Puck held her back. "Wait," he asked, and once everyone was gone, he took her to sit down.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing's wrong, it's not that," he promised, so she waited. "So you really think we're ready, right?"

"For the showcase, yes," she nodded. "Although…" she started, and at the look he gave her, she went on. "I think… I think they know about us… all of them." He tried to look surprised.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, definitely. I mean before I sort of thought some of them knew, but this is different."

"Right, about that…" he started, still hesitating, "I may have told them."

"You did?" she asked, surprised. "When?"

"Yesterday… I told them I wasn't going to stand by and have them upset my girlfriend like this," he stood by his words. Her concern had been replaced by misty eyes at hearing exactly how the secret had been revealed – the two things had cancelled each other out. She held on to his hands.

"Well I'm glad it's out then," she nodded. He was smiling, like her. "So no freak outs?"

"No freak outs…" he repeated. "I'd like to think this is a good sign for tomorrow." The moment he mentioned the next day, her face shrunk again – now she remembered it was the next day.

"Do you think he'll say yes? Do you think he'll say no?" she sounded hopeful on the first question, whispered the second.

"I think he'd be crazy to say no."

"That's not actually what I asked," she pointed out. He sighed.

"I don't know. Maybe we can bribe him?" he turned to her with the suggestion. She frowned. "I was just kidding… kind of," he sat back.

"What if he does say no? What if we have to shut it down?" she looked to him, saddened.

"Doesn't mean it has to be over," he shrugged, and she nodded. Eventually they got up and started to head back out from the field. "You know what's going to happen tomorrow?"

"The showcase?" she looked at him, unsure what he was getting at.

"Well, yeah, but more than that," he hinted, but she wasn't getting it. "Tomorrow I am going to come pick you up, drive you to school, and when we get out of my car we're going to walk into McKinley, together, and I'm going to hold your hand, you know, because you're my girlfriend…" She looked so… happy all of a sudden. She looked back to him.

"And you're my boyfriend. And we're gonna get this!" she balled her fists with determination.

"Okay, easy, easy," he hushed. "Breathe."

TO BE CONCLUDED (TOMORROW)


	7. Day Seven

_A/N: Final chapter! :D And then tomorrow a new cycle begins and it's gonna be an exciting one, so stick around!_

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><p><strong>"Audience Testing"<strong>

**Day Seven**

When he picked up Rachel and saw the notebook grasped tightly in her hand, Puck knew she was locked and loaded for the day. "Morning," he told her as she sat down at his side. She looked to him with a smile, leaned in to kiss him.

"Morning," she replied. "Let's go!"

"You know the showcase isn't until this afternoon, right?"

"I know…" she promised; she definitely knew… it looked like it was eating at her to have to wait.

But at least, while they were waiting for the showcase, she had something else to keep her occupied, and that was to bask in their revealed relationship. Just like he'd promised her, they walked into school that morning, hand in hand. Even though the people in the group had found out two days ago, from Puck, at least the rest of the students had no idea, and there was surprise on some faces as they went by. If any of them ever argued with it he would deal with them, but right now no one said a word… and they could just be happy.

In a way he would say that the fact that they had been hiding all this time had been a good thing in that it gave them the chance to discover one another, as people and as a couple, because it was just their own. All of them knew exactly what it was like to be in a relationship in the open in school, at the mercy of anyone and everyone who would go and make comments… That could make people doubt, reconsider… warp reality… But they had grown together on their own, and they were that much more solid for it.

As the day progressed, they would come across members of their group, here and there. Rachel and Puck both could see how much they were all bracing for it too, some of them huddled in small groups, going over this number or that. The moment couldn't come fast enough.

One class, then another, and another, classes, lunch, more classes, and then finally they were in business – time to prepare. Rachel's notebook reappeared, and she had her phone in her other hand at all times, calling down every last one of them, like she expected anyone not to show – despite their progress, some part of her might have been afraid that some would bail on them. But, no, everyone was there, Blaine too, who had to drive down from Dalton.

The Glee Club room had been turned into hair, makeup, and wardrobe, and once people were ready for their first number, they would be sent to the auditorium, to set things up on the stage. Puck went, too – to supervise. While Rachel was helping with the Elizabeths' makeup, she got a call – it was him. "Hey, I'm just working on…"

"You wanted me to tell you when Schuester showed up at the auditorium?" he cut her off, and she nearly dropped the phone, putting it to her other ear.

"How is he? On a scale of Beiste to Sylvester?"

"I don't know, he doesn't look angry or anything… maybe kind of curious?"

"Good, curious is good," she nodded, then to the girls, "Okay, you're ready, go help?" she asked, and Lizzie and Ellie bowed their heads and headed off to the auditorium. "We're almost done here, we'll be on our way." After hanging up, she looked around – yeah, they were ready.

The rest of them made it to the auditorium and before long the stage was set, and everyone gathered backstage. "Are we supposed to make a circle?" Puck asked Rachel, and she beamed, impressed.

"Yes, everyone in a circle," she called, gathering the group. They had made it so that everyone, no matter their role in the group, would manage to hit the stage at one time or another. "So this is it. This may not be the whole show, but it's the first time we really get to see how this goes, and… as much as I don't want to think about it this way, this might be the first and only time we get to do this, so… If this is the last time, I want to thank you for trusting me with this… even when it wasn't easy," she smirked, getting some smiles back. "These last few weeks have been… life changing," she continued, and Puck, at her side, wondered if she was still talking about the show. "I am so proud, to be standing here with you. And no matter what happens… this will always be special," she nodded. Twenty-four voices cheered around her, some hands raised in the air, others grasped hands nearby. "Now let's do this!" Rachel called over their voices, and that only made them louder.

Everyone dispersed, moving into position to enter the stage on their cues. Rachel had gone to inform Will, Brad, and the band, that they were ready to start, and she returned backstage, finding Puck waiting for her. She had been playing the driven director all day, biting back her own nerves, but the moment she saw him standing there waiting for her, the façade fell off and she moved to let him hold her. "You're going to blow him away," he promised.

"So will you," she insisted.

"But you, more," he returned, and he could feel her smile against his chest. "Just don't think about yes or no, just go out there and have fun, okay?" he instructed, and she nodded. He kissed her gently, looked into her eyes. The music had begun. "Here we go…"

THE END


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